"Hahaha-"
In the handsome tent of Tang Jun Yingzhai, bursts of hearty laughter could be heard, and occasionally the smell of barbecue wafted out, drifting in the wind in the blue sky of Dafeichuan.
"Young General, you are really able to strategize and win thousands of miles!" Xue Wanjun raised a bowl of tea, "Xue used tea instead of wine to honor the Young General!"
"Thank you, General Xue. Qin is so ashamed." Qin Mubai drank tea with him and replied with a smile.
When the two armies faced each other, alcohol was prohibited in the army. This was not only a stipulation of the Tang Dynasty's military law, but also an order issued by Qin Shubao to the generals. No one dared to violate it.
Xue Wanche was much quieter than his elder brother, especially when he saw Xue Rengui standing behind Qin Mubai, the fierce general who defeated him in Dengzhou, his expression was always a little depressed.
Qin Mubai saw this and asked him with a smile: "General, you seem worried?"
"Oh, no." Xue Wanche replied, "It's just..."
"how?"
Xue Wanche said: "I was just guessing that although we have blocked the advancement of the Tibetan army of 60,000 and suppressed them in the hinterland of Dafeichuan, what can we do to expel and defeat them? It is summer. It’s the busy farming season, and we don’t have a particularly abundant supply of food and grass. Secondly, it’s not advisable to wait too long, delaying the army’s fielding!”
"It's true what General Xue said!" Qin Mubai nodded and smiled and said, "In view of the entire Dafeichuan strategy, we have only implemented half of the tactics. It is indeed too early to be happy. Sixty thousand Tubo cavalry, In the past, this was definitely a huge force that should not be underestimated. If we wanted to defeat it with regular troops, it would be almost impossible with Lanzhou's current military strength."
"What's the young general's clever plan?" the Xue brothers asked together.
Qin Mubai smiled slightly: "Don't be in a hurry. I will make a decision after I have a clear look at the camp of the Tibetan army."
"Okay..." The Xue brothers were helpless and it was difficult to ask further questions. Although they were the commander-in-chief, Qin Mubai was just a general in Yifu, but it was obvious that the strategy to defeat the enemy was only within his control. Even though the two brothers were brave enough, they had no confidence that they could destroy the 60,000 Tibetan army with the more than 10,000 troops they had.
Early the next morning, Qin Mubai and Xue Rengui took a few light cavalry followers and walked around to the hill next to where the Tang army had established a stronghold. They looked up at the Tubo camp several miles away.
The area around Dafeichuan and Qinghai Lake does not have as much wind and sand as in Lanzhou. The sky and water are blue and the sky and the earth are unobstructed, and the visibility is excellent. Even though they were several miles apart, one could still see the huge camp of the Tibetans stretching for several miles, like a yak lying at the junction of the green plains of blue water and white snowfields.
The scenery is quite beautiful.
"Rengui, you have been to the Tubo camp many times. What is the terrain like in that area?" Qin Mubai asked.
"It's a very flat pasture, with Qinghai Lake next to it." Xue Rengui replied, "When the Tubo people build their camps, they always choose places with abundant water and grass."
Qin Mubai nodded and thought: The range of the red cannon is a problem. The distance between the two armies was still several miles, and it was all plains and grasslands. It was obviously a unique cavalry battlefield. If we advance blindly, once the Tubo people find out something is wrong, they will only be able to kill more than a hundred cavalry, and all the hard work of my three hundred thousand red cannons will be wasted. Moreover, artillery cannot be used as the main battle. Making its first appearance, the mighty power of its cannon can be fully utilized.
"Rengui, tell me, if you go to challenge the Tubo camp now, will they still pay attention?" Qin Mubai asked with a smile.
"It's hard to say." Xue Rengui also laughed and said, "After being teased repeatedly, the Tubo people must have become angry. The major general's tactics are strange and suspicious, and they can't tell which one is true and which one is false. It is very possible that someone would rather be wrong. Even if you kill a thousand people, you won’t let anyone go.”
"It makes sense." Qin Mubai raised the corner of his mouth and smiled strangely, "Then I have to scare them again, using a large number of war drums to coax them, making them dizzy and afraid to leave the camp."
"Is it possible to repeat the old skills?" Xue Rengui asked.
"Just put new wine in old bottles." Qin Mubai chuckled, "Go back to camp, I have a solution."
Just after dinner that afternoon, Qin Mubai and Xue Rengui set off together. In addition to the original Yifu elite Yueqi, Qin Mubai also brought more than a thousand drummers and trumpeters, more than a hundred huge military drums and several Hundreds of golden horns reaching into the sky. Everyone was puzzled. How could anyone bring such a bunch of junk to challenge? Qin Mubai didn't say much, and set off after getting ready.
A few miles away, arriving soon. I met Tibetan scouts along the way, but ignored them, leaving them to return to camp to report the news. By the time Qin Mubai and others arrived in front of the Tubo camp, it was already setting and night was about to fall. As expected, the Tubo camp was lined with men and horses, lined with bows and arrows, and ready to go.
Judging from the formation they put up, it looked like a defensive posture to hold on to the camp.
"Ha, it's interesting. When the 60,000-strong army saw more than 2,000 of us coming, they actually went on the defensive first." Qin Mubai said with a smile.
Xue Rengui said: "They have been fooled several times in a row, and they have become more cautious."
"Everyone must be suspicious." Qin Mubai said hoarsely, "Being suspicious is a big taboo when using troops. At this time, if they really send out a force to deal with us, we really have no good solution. Turn around and run away, throw away all the drums and horns.”
"It seems that the young general has figured out their thoughts clearly." Xue Rengui laughed.
The Tang army was more than a mile away from the Tubo camp and did not step forward to call for formation. The Tibetans waited in tight formation for a while, probably deciding not to understand this group of Tang troops, and gradually restored the normal order, except that many sergeants were arranged to guard Yingkou closely.
"The other general was quite calm and didn't panic." Qin Mubai couldn't help but smile, "But they will suffer it when it gets dark later."
It was getting dark, and the Tubo camp was on fire. Ranger scouts were patrolling the camp one after another. It was obvious that the defense was tight. Qin Mubai ordered all the soldiers to light a bonfire, but the men and horses did not take off their saddles. They divided into several teams and moved to both sides. Only one or two people were left on the original fire to look after it to ensure that it did not go out. Then, the troops dispersed and spread out into the fields along the Tubo camp, keeping a distance of one or two miles. Bonfires were lit everywhere, and as many bonfires were lit as they could.
The Tubo people were shocked to see that the mountains and fields around the camp were covered with bonfires, and the number was still increasing. Could it be that the Tang army had arrived in the middle of the night with many troops, preparing to encircle the Tubo camp
The Tubo generals did not dare to neglect, and no one dared to sleep. They all gathered together to pay full attention to the movements of the Tang army. The camp with tens of thousands of troops was bustling with people and horses, and it was even more tense than during the day.
But after staring for a long time, all they saw was a bonfire being lit, and no Tang troops coming from the darkness to rob the camp.
The Tubo people were annoyed, "It's another tactic of suspicion! Ignore it!"
"What if there are so many Tang troops?"
"There are not so many of them! Moreover, the Han people are the most cunning. If there were so many people, they would deliberately hide from us to prevent us from knowing their true situation. Now that they deliberately light so many bonfires, it proves that there are not many of them!"
"Then how about we go out and kill them all?"
"Idiot, what if they have an ambush? It's hard to tell where in the dark, who knows which one is true and which one is false!"
…
The Tubo people were all quarreling, and they were all confused. In view of the tricks and tricks they encountered before, they decided not to rush out and be humiliated even if they were killed. Anyway, no matter how much the Tang army fooled them, it was impossible to eat their 60,000-strong army alive with just a few of their troops!
Therefore, he decided to strictly guard the camp and ignore it.
Qin Mubai stayed up until midnight and had some midnight snacks with Xue Rengui. Seeing that the Tubo camp had returned to normal, he couldn't help laughing and said: "I haven't slept yet, you still want to sleep? Rengui, tell them to get up and pee." ”
"Haha!" Xue Rengui shouted, personally picked up a big drum hammer and walked to a big military drum that was as tall as a person, and bang bang bang bang bang the war drum.
As soon as the sound came here, the drummers and trumpeters of the Tang Army who had just dispersed to the surrounding areas all responded.
Suddenly, there was a sound of drums and horns in the fields, causing the water of Qinghai Lake to stir.
The Tubo generals were so frightened that they jumped up from their yak couches.
"Rob the camp, the Tang army robs the camp!"
The Tubo camp suddenly became excited.
In an instant, the sound of drums was gone, and so was the sound of horns.
Qin Mubai decisively ordered: "Retreat! - Give them the drums and horns, and the whole army will retreat with light cavalry!"
Two to three thousand people ran away, like ghosts in the wind in the dark night.
Tubo was dumbfounded. You looked at me, I looked at you, and we roared together—
"How dare you tease us again!"
The most terrifying thing is when madmen get angry with honest people. I don’t know which category the Tibetans put themselves into. In short, they opened the four gates and rushed out with their iron cavalry, deciding to take revenge for this humiliation despite the risk of being ambushed.
When I rushed to the imaginary Tang Army camps, I found some fires emitting smoke and some drum horns that were blown cold by the wind of Qinghai Lake.
"Poke the drum to pieces and move the corners back!" The Tibetan general ordered in anger. They are not used to using drums, but they have a good use for horns.
Qin Mubai returned to the camp and fell asleep, like a gambler who returned home from gambling and lost everything. Xue Wanjun and others were shocked when they saw that all the cavalry came back, and that a large amount of the baggage and weapons they had taken away were gone. Asked Xue Rengui, Xue Rengui was also very confused. Finally, with a rare moment of humor, he said: "The young general probably felt a little embarrassed after teasing the Tibetan people repeatedly, so he gave those things to them as a comfort."
In the afternoon, Qin Mubai woke up. When he arrived at the handsome tent, he found that everyone was waiting for him, and everyone had a look of confusion on their faces.
Qin Mubai grinned: "Colleagues, everyone should go back to bed quickly!"
"Ah?" Everyone was surprised.
"Haha! Have a good sleep, we have to beat the drum again in the middle of the night. And this time, we will beat the drum all night long. Order all the soldiers to start sleeping in batches now. Don't even think about sleeping at night."
Everyone smiled bitterly and wondered, but they couldn't figure out why, so they had no choice but to execute it.
In the middle of the night, there was a sudden loud banging of drums in the Tang Army's camp. The Tibetan people who were miles away could hear it clearly. They all jumped up in anger and cursed their mothers, but they were also afraid that the Tang Army was really coming to attack in the middle of the night. As a result, the whole battalion was prepared and prepared. As a result, after waiting for half a night, no Tang army came to attack, so he forced himself to plug his ears and went back to sleep for most of the time. Qin Mubai sent a group of cavalry and set fires outside the Tubo camp. He frightened them again, and then ran away.
Repeatedly, the Tibetan people almost had a nervous breakdown. Troops were sent out to pursue them, but this time they couldn't even touch the drum horn. It wasn't until they caught up to the Datang camp that they realized that the Tang army was beating the drums desperately. After reporting the news, the Tibetan people ignored them and everything went as usual. When it was their turn to sleep, everyone put cotton wool in their ears and covered their heads to sleep.
For the next few nights, the situation was still the same. Tubo's nerves seemed to be numb under the repeated stimulation. Apart from cursing, there seemed to be no other reaction.
That night, the lights in the Tang army's tent were brightly lit, and all the generals were present. Qin Mubai said: "Comrades, the only way to defeat the Tubo army is tonight! Please divide the army, General Xue, and wait for my signal to prepare to attack from each Tibetan camp!"
"What order?"
Qin Mubai smiled mysteriously: "That's right, after the rolling thunder of the divine thunder from the sky stops, it will be a good opportunity to advance the army!"
All the generals are at a loss!
"Believe me." Qin Mubai raised the corner of his mouth and smiled.
"Okay." Xue Wanjun gritted his teeth and asked the generals to each lead a group of soldiers and horses. They rode seven steps in total, with clear flags and fire in response, and then they all entered the Tibetan camp together.
At night, the drums were still rumbling in the Tang army camp. Qin Mubai led two hundred soldiers of the Shenwu Camp and set off with thirty cannons pulled by carriages. These cannons were wrapped tightly after entering the stronghold, no different from ordinary baggage, and they did not arouse anyone's suspicion for a while. Until then, everyone was extremely shocked, wondering what Qin Mubai was going to use it for.
Yuwen Hongtai led three thousand fine cavalry to escort him. This group of people set off first, and in the night with the rumbling war drums, they dispersed evenly and evenly around the Tubo camp in an unusually calm and safe manner. Thirty cannons, their dark barrels aimed at the Tibetan camp, were like fly swatters aimed at the blowflies lying on the glass. When the fire prepared to light the cannon was lit, the Tibetan people did not react at all. This was something they were used to.
Qin Mubai dismounted, picked up the fierce fire cloud, plugged his ears with cotton wool, picked up three torches and threw them high into the sky.
Once the order is given, the power of God descends!
Thirty cannons were fired one after another, like Thor's hammer ringing one after another. Amidst the deafening rumble, thirty angry fire lotuses bloomed in the Tubo camp!
Tang Jun's ears were tightly stuffed and he couldn't hear many screams. I saw only bursts of smoke rolling into the sky, like a fierce dragon breaking through the earth's crust and leaping into the sky. Anyone in the Tubo camp who touched it would be shattered to pieces! The tent contents were ablaze. Not long after, it was like a sea of fire!
"Oh my god, this is God's punishment!"
The Tibetans, who had not seen an enemy, could only let out such frightened screams!
The bombardment still did not stop. The artillerymen familiarly changed their angles and fired at different positions in turn. One after another, "thunders from the sky" were like curses with eyes, falling accurately on the Tubo camp.
In the distance, Tang Jun was also shocked!
All they saw was that the Tubo camp was ablaze with fire and black smoke, and the people and horses were in a chaotic mess. It no longer looked like an army at all, but like an earthquake or tsunami disaster scene.
This battle seems to be no longer necessary. The Tubo people opened the rear camp and were already running away frantically.
Not retreat, but escape!
Facing the power of God and the punishment of God, no mortal body can do anything, even if he is the most unparalleled warrior on the plateau.
Qin Mubai issued an order to stop the bombardment.
A moment later, seven Tang troops on foot and cavalry entered the Tibetan camp to carry out the subsequent suppression work. At this time, almost half of the 60,000 Tibetan troops had fled, and the remaining ones who could not escape were mostly either frightened or injured or stunned during the bombardment, and had no fighting power at all.
In fact, not many Tibetans died in the bombardment. At most, they were equivalent to the casualties in a small battle. A full dozen could only count two to three thousand people. However, it’s all that scares the shit out of you!
At dawn, Qin Mubai stood on the mount of the cannon and looked at the Tang flags planted all over the Dafeichuan camp. He raised the corner of his mouth and shook his head.
"A few cannons can become the biggest killers in this era. Will the Tubo people, who have been frightened by the gods from the sky, still come to this land of Dafeichuan that has been cursed by the gods?"